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Recommendations

Below are consolidated lists of the recommendations for both PC and Mac, and for each computer type within these two categories, for the 2011/12 school year. These are minimum recommendations and are given with a price-performance ratio in mind and are, to the best of our ability and knowledge, reasonably robust configurations.

Because technology changes rapidly and manufacturers offer computers with many different configurations, you may not be able to find a system with the exact specifications that are listed below, we suggest the computer that you purchase either meet or exceed these minimum recommendations.

For more details about each recommendation see the General Recommendations page.

PC Configurations

PC – Desktop PC – Laptop
Processor
 3.20GHz Intel i5 Quad Core 650 Intel Core i5-2540M, 2.60GHz
RAM
 4GB DDR3 memory 4.0GB, DDR3 memory
Hard Drive
 250GB Dell OptiPlex SATA 3.0 GB/s Hard Drive 250GB Hard Drive, 7200RPM
Monitor 19″ Dell Professional 1909W widescreen monitor 14.1 inch widescreen
Video Card
 ATI Radeon HD 3450 256Mb (2 DVI /1 TV-out) graphics nVidia NVS 4200M 512MB DDR3 Discrete Graphics
Modem No No
Floppy Disk Drive No No
Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (Windows 7 64 bit) Genuine Windows 7 Professional, 64-bit
CD-ROM / DVD-ROM 16x DVD+/-RW drive 8X DVD+/-RW
Ethernet Card Gigabit Ethernet adapter Gigabit Ethernet adapter and
Wireless network card
Sound Card
 Base Base
Speakers
 AX51A sound bar speakers No
Camera
 N/A Optional
Carrying Case
 N/A Yes
Mouse  Dell USB Laser 6-Button Mouse No
Keyboard Dell Multimedia pro keyboard No
Other 19-in-1 media card reader 6-Cell (60WH) Primary Lithium Ion Battery
Dock N/A No
Warranty 3 Year Next Business Day Onsite Limited Warranty 3 Year Next Business Day Onsite Limited Warranty
Accident Protection N/A Yes, 3 Year Accidental Damage Service
2010 – 2011 Model – as example Dell OptiPlex 980 Dell Latitude E6410

Macintosh Configurations:

Mac – Desktop Mac – Laptop 13″ Mac – Laptop 15″
Processor 3.06GHz Intel Core i3 2.3GHz Dual-core Intel Core i5 2.0 GHZ Quad Core Intel Core i7
RAM 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM – 2×2GB 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM – 2×2GB 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM – 2×2GB
Hard Drive
 500GB Serial ATA Drive 320GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm 500 GB Serial ATA Drive 5400rpm
Monitor 21.5 inch widescreen 13″ 15″
Video Card
 NVIDIA GeForce 9400M NVIDIA GeForce 9400M NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Modem No No No
Floppy Disk Drive No No No
Operating System Snow Leopard Snow Leopard Snow Leopard
CD-ROM / DVD-ROM 8x double-layer SuperDrive SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) Superdrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Sound Card
 Base Base Base
Camera
 Built-in Built-in Built-in
Carrying Case
 N/A No No
Keyboard Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (English Backlit Keyboard (English) & User’s Guide
Mouse Magic Mouse No No
Other ATI Radeon HD 4670 256MB GDDR3 SDRAM Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter Mini Display port to VGA adapter
Dock N/A No No
Network Ethernet Airport
Ethernet
Warranty AppleCare 3 year warranty Protection Plan AppleCare 3-year Protection Plan AppleCare 3-year Protection Plan
Accident Protection N/A Yes Yes
2009 – 10 Model – as example iMac 21.5″ MacBook Pro 13″ MacBook Pro 15″

 

Note:  In order to manage the campus network and ensure reliability, integrity, and interoperability, students and departments at UMW are not permitted to install their own wireless infrastructure. Prohibiting installation of personal wireless infrastructure also helps ensures the integrity and appropriateness of the campus “radio space” in terms of wireless networking.

Buying a Computer

The University partners with several vendors who provide discounts to UMW students when they purchase computers that meet our specifications. we strongly recommend that you purchase one of these machines. This partnership is managed through the University bookstore. For more information, see the University Bookstore’s website.